JP3238331B2 - Antenna mechanism for wireless transceiver - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to an antenna assembly mechanism,
In particular, it relates to an antenna assembly mechanism for a wireless transceiver.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, for example, in radio transceivers such as portable telephones, in order to improve portability and functionality,
Many antennas for transmitting and receiving radio waves for communication with a base station are not exposed to the outside but are built in a housing, and are often developed and manufactured. In such a wireless transceiver, since the antenna is provided inside, the antenna and the wireless transceiver are electrically connected in the housing.

[0003]

However, the prior art antenna assembly mechanism installed in the housing of the radio transceiver as described above has the following problems when testing the radio frequency (rf) portion of the transceiver. Occurred.

That is, if the operation of the radio transceiver is tested before the antenna is connected to the feed point, the measured value will be more accurate because the rf signal can be directly introduced into the relevant part of the transceiver circuit together with the control impedance. However, doing so adds another step in the manufacturing process because the antenna must be reconnected to the circuit after testing. Also, if automatic soldering is performed at this stage, the current circuit may be adversely affected, and even if another type of automatic manufacturing stage is used,
It is unlikely to be more efficient than manually connecting the antennas.

In order to eliminate the need for manually connecting the antenna after testing the radio transceiver with the antenna mounted in the correct position, the prior art uses a radiated signal. Had to be tested.

When another rf signal is supplied to the transceiver, a spurious rf signal to or from the antenna may adversely affect the test result. Another problem encountered when placing the antenna in the correct location during testing is impedance mismatch.

The above problems are exacerbated if the antenna for the radio transceiver is an internal antenna mechanism that is easily mounted automatically during the transceiver fabrication process prior to testing.

[0008] Thus, in the radiotelephone industry, where the antenna assembly process is highly automated, how to test the radio frequency portion of the transceiver has been critical.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided an antenna assembly for a suitable radio device which can introduce a predetermined radio frequency signal into a radio transceiver test operation. can do. In this assembling mechanism, the antenna, the radio frequency signal input unit and the radio transceiver, the antenna and the input unit are electrically insulated when in the first position, and the antenna and the input unit are in the second position. Means for exchanging signals with a switchable coupling member arranged to be electrically coupled to the part. The coupling member can be switched between a first position and a second position with respect to the antenna.

[0010] By using a coupling member that switches between the first and second positions for the antenna, the antenna is mounted on the surface during manufacture of the radio device, similarly to the coupling member. can do. This mechanism allows testing to be performed with the antenna disconnected while fully utilizing the automated process.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to provide a suitable radio device assembling method capable of introducing a predetermined radio frequency to a test operation of a radio transceiver. The method comprises: an antenna, an element for forming a wireless transceiver, a radio frequency input, a wireless transceiver, and a wireless transceiver when in a first position.
When the antenna and the input section are electrically insulated and in the second position, the antenna and the input section are switched between a switchable coupling member arranged to be electrically coupled. Providing a means for exchanging signals; and testing the functionality of the wireless transceiver by providing appropriate signals to the means for exchanging signals with the coupling member in the first position. Contains.

The switchable coupling member is preferably biased in the direction of the first position so that a test can be performed without having to bother holding the coupling member in the first position. Is preferably performed. Preferably, the coupling member is also resilient to return to the second position when the external force is removed. With such a coupling member, if necessary, the test can be repeated without replacing the coupling member.

The switchable member is preferably maintained in the second position by contact with a portion of the wireless transceiver housing. This means that once the test has been completed and installed in the housing to complete the radio transceiver, without adding any additional assembly steps,
This means that the antenna comes into contact with the transceiver circuit.

As the coupling member, a clip having elasticity for connecting between the antenna and the input section can be used. This clip is preferably fixedly attached to the antenna so that a part thereof can be brought into contact with or separated from the radio frequency input unit.

[0015]

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of a radio transceiver antenna assembling mechanism according to the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an internal structure showing an embodiment of an antenna assembling mechanism according to the present invention. The illustrated antenna 10 is a curved inverted F-type antenna. The ground 9 of the antenna 10 is similarly curved. A detailed description of this antenna 10 is given in UK application no. 9515958.8 filed by the same applicant as the present application. In the present invention, other antennas, including a microstrip or stripline antenna, can be used appropriately. The invention can be applied very advantageously if it is of the type that can be mounted on a surface during the normal automatic assembly procedure for assembling a radio transceiver.

The antenna 10 of this embodiment can be printed on a printed circuit board as part of an automated radio transceiver manufacturing process. The antenna 10
1890 MHz in the frequency band of 1880-1900 MHz
It is designed to operate at a center frequency of z and requires a bandwidth of at least 1% of the center frequency (1890 MHz). Printed circuit board 11 may be made of any suitable material, such as a conventional copper metal material.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the clip 12 shown in FIG. The clips 12 are placed on the stub ends 13 of the antenna 10 and they are in good electrical contact. The clip 12 has a ground pad 1
4 and three solder pads 1 connected to the antenna 10
5, 16, and 17 are formed.

The clip 12 extends along a portion of the inductive stub 13 of the microstrip antenna and the capacitive end 18 of the antenna. Three solder pads 1
5, 16, and 17 electrically connect the clip 12 and the antenna 10. The ground pad 14 is connected to the induction stub 13. The clip 12 can be attached to the surface like any other member, eliminating the need for an additional manual assembly step.

The clip 12 is connected to the feeding point 2 of the antenna 10.
Legs 19 are formed for bridging the gap between 0 and a conductive line 21 for connecting to a wireless transceiver. The leg portion 19 is protruded with an inclination, and is located immediately above the conductive line 21 and away from the conductive line 21 when no external force is applied. Clip 12 also allows for repeated contact with conductive line 21. That is, it is formed of a material having elasticity so that it can return to a position distant from the conductive line 21 when a test is repeatedly performed.

A material suitable for such a clip 12 is, for example, phosphor bronze in which gold is covered on nickel plating. The contact between the leg 19 and the conductive line 21 is made at the tip 22 of the curved leg 19. Since the material forming the clip 12 has elasticity, when a sufficient force is applied to the leg 19, the tip 22 of the leg 19 reliably contacts the conductive line 21.

As is evident from FIG. 1, there are three test contacts, two of which are the central rf pad 23, the first contact, and the ground pad 24, the second contact. It is provided on the circuit board 11. The remaining third contact is a ground pad 14 which
It is provided above. By using these contacts, using the radio frequency probe 25 (see FIG. 4),
The performance of the wireless transceiver to which the antenna 10 is attached can be tested.

When the clip 12 is set to the open (non-contact state) position shown in FIG. 3, there is no conduction between the antenna 10 and the transceiver circuit of the wireless transceiver. For this reason, the probe 25 is connected to the central rf pad 23.
And can be connected to receive the rf signal therefrom.

A test device 25 suitable for use with the antenna assembly of the present embodiment includes a central probe 26 for supplying radio frequency signals to and receiving radio frequency signals from the transceiver. . The test apparatus 25 also has two outer probes 27, 28 which are grounded and which are connected to a coaxial cable. The central probe 26 therein is the central conductor. The two outer probes 27, 28
In order to ground the outer conductor of the coaxial cable, it is provided at a position in contact with the ground pads 14, 24 on the circuit board. As is evident from FIG. 1, the outer pads are grounded. The rf pad 23 and the two ground pads 14, 24 provide a control impedance,
As a result, accurate tests can be repeatedly performed.

In this embodiment, the antenna clip 1
2 can be set to the open position, adding flexibility to the design range of wireless transceivers. For this reason,
The transmission of the rf signal to match the high frequency components of the transceiver, such as crystals and other components that must be tuned at the factory, can be facilitated.

The rf signal was fed through the feed line 21 may also be used to calibrate the received signal strength indication (RSSI). In addition, the transmission frequency, transmission current and power of the radiotelephone can be evaluated by connecting the probe 25 to a spectrum analyzer or other suitable detection device and monitoring the signal transmitted by the radiotelephone radio transceiver. Can be.

When the test of the wireless transceiver is completed, the antenna 10 is electrically connected to the feed line feeding the transceiver. In the housing of the radio telephone according to the present embodiment, when the two halves 29, 30 of the housing are assembled as shown in FIG. 5, the raised leg 19 of the clip 12 is pushed by the tip of the insert 31. , 12 are designed so that the tip 22 of the clip 12 contacts the conductive line 21. In this embodiment, an insert 31 is formed in the housing of the wireless telephone at the same position as the raised leg 19 of the clip 12.

FIG. 6 is a sectional view of the insert 11. The size accuracy does not need to be as nervous as long as the required downward force is applied on the clip 12 to ensure that the tip of the leg 19 and the conductive line make contact with each other. Therefore, any other structure may be used instead as long as the tip 22 of the leg 19 of the clip 12 can be reliably brought into contact with the conductive line 21.

In the present embodiment, the means for holding the clip 12 in the contact position is formed as part of the molding of the housing of the wireless transceiver, thereby completing the manufacture of the wireless transceiver. This eliminates the need for additional assembly steps. The housing can be fixed with the clip 12 or a screw, but the tip 22 of the leg 19 of the clip 12 and the conductive line 21 can be fixed.
The structure may be held together in another way so that the contact between them is continuous. When the last step of the manufacturing process for shipping the wireless transceiver is performed, the feed point of the antenna is simultaneously connected to the conductive line.

When the radiotelephone is completely assembled,
The conduction of the clip 12 can be tested. But,
Another advantage of the present invention is that if a conduction test of the clip 12 is to be performed, the raised legs 1 may be required prior to assembling the housing.
9 is that it can be brought into contact with the power supply line by pushing it in. By doing so, the connection by the clip 12 when closed can be evaluated before the assembly is completed, and all necessary antenna tests can be performed before the assembly. This is also desirable to avoid reassembling and disassembling the radiotelephone housing multiple times. Once the antenna 10 is connected, other tests can be performed using the radiated radio frequency signals received or transmitted by the antenna 10.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a radiotelephone 32 suitable for accommodating an antenna assembly of the type shown in FIG. The antenna 10 supplies a signal to the wireless transceiver 33. The microprocessor 34 controls the display of the display 35 and the information stored in the EEPROM memory 36.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail, the present invention is not limited thereto.
All novel features or combinations of features disclosed in the present specification are also included in the scope of the present invention. Further, variations or modifications that can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention are included in the scope of the present invention. In particular, it will be apparent that, for example, the type and material of the antenna used can be changed without departing from the scope of the invention.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a circuit board showing an embodiment of an antenna assembling mechanism for a wireless transceiver according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the antenna clip shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is an explanatory view illustrating an example of use of a radio frequency probe in the radio transceiver antenna assembling mechanism illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the radio frequency probe shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the inside of the housing of the wireless telephone when cut along a dashed line AA in FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is a sectional view showing a state of the insert and the leg when cut along a dashed line BB in FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of a wireless telephone to which the antenna assembly mechanism for a wireless transceiver according to the present invention is applied;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Antenna 11 Circuit board 12 Clip 13 Inductive stag 14, 24 Ground pad 15, 16, 17 Solder pad 19 Leg 20 Feeding point 21 Conductive line 22 End 23 rf pad 25 Radio frequency probe 31 Insert

────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Stephen Pasmoa United Kingdom United Kingdom Surrey Camberley Frimley Warren Rise 38A (56) References JP-A-7-336121 (JP, A) JP-A 1-321738 (JP, A) US Patent 5,278,570 (US, A) US Patent 3,946,390 (US, A) (58) Fields investigated (Int. Cl. ⁷ , DB name) H01Q 1/24 H04B 1/38-17/00 G01R 1/00- 31/00 H04M 1/00

Claims (8)

(57) [Claims] The method according to claim 1] predetermined radio frequency signals, the A <br/> integrators Na Organization for wireless devices that can be introduced into test operation of the wireless transceiver, an antenna and, of signals between the radio transceiver Radio transmission and reception
A test of the wireless transceiver is performed at a wave number signal input unit and a first position.
As described above, the antenna and the input section are electrically insulated.
And in a second position, the wireless transceiver operates.
The antenna and the input unit are electrically connected so as to move.
And a movable coupling member arranged to be
For example, the coupling member is movable between said second position and before Symbol first position to said antenna,
When assembling the housing of the wireless transceiver, the second
An antenna mechanism, wherein the antenna mechanism is moved from one position to the second position and fixed . 2. A antennas Organization of claim 1, wherein the movable coupling member, antenna Organization, characterized in that that will be biased toward the first position. 3. The antenna Organization of claim 1 or 2, wherein the movable coupling member, antenna, characterized in that fixed to the second position by contact with the housing of the radio transceiver Na Organization. 4. The antenna Organization of claim 1 to 3, antenna, wherein said coupling member is a clip formed of a material having elasticity
Machine configuration. 5. The antenna Organization of claim 4, clip formed of a material having the elasticity, the antenna Organization, characterized in that said antenna and permanent electrical contact . 6. The antenna Organization of claim 1 to 5, antenna Organization, wherein the antenna is a microstrip antenna. 7. A method of assembling a radio device suitable for introducing a predetermined radio frequency signal into a test operation of a radio transceiver.
In law, the antenna and the the element for forming a radio transceiver, and conducting means for conducting signals between a radio frequency signal input unit and said radio transceiver, Oite the first position <br/>, and said antenna and said input portion is electrically insulated, Oite the second position, and a movable coupling member which is arranged to be electrically connected to said antenna and said input section, onto the substrate a first step of assembling arranged to, at the coupling member to the first position, the
A second step of testing the function of the radio transceiver by applying appropriate signals to the conducting means, said coupling member is the second from the first position
Assembling the housing of the wireless device to move to a position
And a third step of assembling the wireless device. 8. The assembly method of claim 7, prior to
The wireless device as hear Ppuringu member is fixed to said second position within the housing of the radio transceiver
Method of assembling a radio device characterized by further comprising the step of assembling the.